By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
Members of the Groveport Madison High School class of 1971, the first class to graduate from the existing high school, join current students representing grades 1-12 in the groundbreaking ceremony. Members present from the class of 1971 were Bill Lewandowski, Chris Ranalli, Carla Cramer, Donna Jean Ramey, Diana Fortner-Orum, Vicky Ottman, and Buddy Waters. The current students present, from youngest to oldest, were Faith Murphy-Pickett, Angel Carrera Villanueva, McKenna Miller, Dominick Glass, Paige Gilden, Jordan Ramella, Tori Banks, Cherub Clarke, Audrey Brown, Rethabile Simone, and Cassandra Snyder. The district held contests to select the student participants.
This is an architectural rendering of the new Groveport Madison High School.
A new era began for Groveport Madison Schools as local officials and community members held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new high school on the grounds of the existing high school on Aug. 22.
“Let’s savor the moment,” said Groveport Madison Superintendent Bruce Hoover at the ceremony. “The Cruiser family is large and strong. The building of this new high school tells the world about the character and spirit of our community. It’s time to celebrate and pass the torch for a new chapter for Groveport Madison Schools.”
Board President Nathan Slonaker noted it will be the first new school building constructed in the district in 40 years.
“In the past few years we have come together as a community,” said Slonaker. “As we watch these walls begin to rise, remember this building represents something greater than just a shiny new project: it represents the rebuilding of a community.”
Groveport Madison Athletic Director Steve Petros said the ceremony also marked the beginning of saying goodbye to the old high school. Noting the many memories within the old school’s walls, Petros then looked ahead saying, “For the rest of our lives when we drive down Hamilton Road, the community will know that it came together as Cruisers to get the new building built.”
Plans are to build the new high school south and west of the existing high school, located at 4475 S. Hamilton Road.
Chris Dumford VSWC Architects vice president, has said the major construction work on the new high school will begin in the spring of 2016 with completion expected by the summer of 2018. The existing high school, built in stages from 1966 to 1971, will continue to be used during the construction. Demolition of the existing high school and the rest of the site work will be done after the new high school is built and that work is expected to be done by the end of 2018.
The 247,879 square foot new high school will include more than 50 academic classrooms, several science and technical labs, many small group rooms and areas, a variety of special education spaces, a large multi-purpose lecture room, three art rooms plus a kiln room, large band and choral rooms with practice space, a main gymnasium and an auxiliary gymnasium and an auditorium with stage, scene shop and dressing rooms.
According to Dumford, new high school’s design will feature an environmentally green design with high efficiency heating, air conditioning, and lighting systems; water conserving plumbing; increased indoor air quality; and use recycled and regionally obtained materials.
The $62.9 million high school will be paid for by Ohio Schools Facilities Commission funding of $29.6 million and a local taxpayer share of $33.3 million provided by a bond issue passed by the voters in May 2014.
